Askinosie Dark Milk with Licorice and Anise Seeds

My sister used to say she loved the crunch in life, and I wholeheartedly agree; but I also like the chewy, velvety, and everything in between. Luckily for me, Shawn Askinosie has partnered with Lakritsfabricken, a Scandinavian licorice factory, to produce a bar that provides crunch, smoothness, and chewiness.

Licorice and chocolate? If you’re American, that may seem like a very strange combo; however, in other parts of the world, like Australia, it is fairly commonplace.

I had tried some chocolate covered licorice nibs in the past and was not a fan. It was only after sampling this bar from Askinosie that I realized why. The equal proportion of chocolate to licorice just didn’t work for me. Here, the salted licorice bits and anise seeds are scattered on the bottom of a dark goat’s milk chocolate. That sentence alone would scare off most people. I hope you’re still reading, as this is really a gem of a chocolate bar.

The texture is constantly interesting since each bite moves from silky chocolate to crunchy seeds, to chewy licorice. All that and goat’s milk, too. The myriad flavors and textures meld beautifully, while the saltiness is subtle and enhances, rather than overwhelms, everything else.

It was simply inspirational to add anise seeds, as they really ramp up the licorice flavor without overdoing the actual licorice presence.